Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Insecure Writers: Writing outside the comfort zone

Yep, that could be me, scaling that gigantic phallic rock. (Sorry, that pic cracked me up and I couldn't resist posting it.)

I'm a big believer in writing from the gut - going where the characters lead, following my writerly instincts, taking a flying leap off the edge of the cliff, as Ray Bradbury so aptly put it, and building my wings on the way down.

I've written a few stories that are outside my comfort zone. Mostly the discomfort came from the erotic scenes. Sometimes the characters seem to demand the sex be hot and nasty. In some cases, I follow along, though I may close my eyes while typing. :) Sometimes, I insist on toning it down a bit. Sometimes, when it feels necessary to the story, I just go with it.

For one novel, I actually stopped writing it a few times because the sex was very intense. It's set in the Underworld, and most of the erotic scenes involved a demon and his concubine. Once I realized that those scenes were actually less about sex than the underlying power struggle, I gave in to the demons' demands.

But I'm worried that some readers won't perceive the story as I'd hoped. A great deal of research goes into my stories (yes, even those set in The Undeworld - mythology plays a big part). And I am a serious writer.

Do you view such stories in a negative light? Do you view such writers as less than serious?

I'm at Romance Book Junkies today, talking about writing across genres and my dark paranormal, Dead to Rights (not a romance! Shh, don't tell.). I'd love for you to come over and keep me company! This kicks off my month-long blog tour. Just a word of warning. :)

As a reader: When the sex seems forced (oops, it's page 30 - time for a sex scene) or too abrupt (no interest, no interest, they're ripping each other's clothes off), it will turn me off the story. But when it fits and is right for the characters then I'm good with it.

As a writer: Writing sex scene can be fun. And then I think of my grandkids reading my work. Talk about being outside your comfort zone!

As long as it fits in with the story I am okay with what happens! I haven't written any sex scenes- but I can imagine it might be a bit uncomfortable having my family read them. I guess you never know what the characters will want. :)~Jess